For more than 90 years, Abbey Road Studios has been at the heart of the music industry. In this personal film of memory and discovery, Mary McCartney guides us through nine decades to see and experience the creative magic that makes it the most famous and longest-running studio in the world. From classical to pop, film scores to hip-hop, ‘If These Walls Could Sing’ explores the breadth, diversity and ingenuity of Abbey Road Studios. The doc marks the first time Abbey Road has opened its doors to a feature doc, and will be the centrepiece of the legendary studio’s 90th anniversary celebrations. Billed as the untold story of the studio, the film will feature an all-star cast of interviews, and intimate access to the premises.
This widely praised by critics film was created with cooperation from Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr and the widows of John Lennon and George Harrison. Filmmaker Peter Jackson delves into invaluable footage archives to make a film that shows the truth about the Beatles recording together the album Let it Be, which had the working title of Get Back. The production employed film restoration techniques developed for Jackson's previous works on sixty hours of film footage and 150 hours of audio, spending four years in editing the series. The final cut covers 21 days in the studio with the Beatles and climaxes with the full 42-minute rooftop concert. In part I, the Beatles begin rehearsing at Twickenham Studios for what is at first meant to be a television special about the recording of their next album leading up to a live show at a location to be determined. During the sessions, Paul McCartney and George Harrison play some songs that would later appear on their respective solo albums. After seven days of rehearsals, Harrison abruptly leaves the group.
Rehearsals briefly resume amid uncertainty over the band's future. Following a productive meeting with Harrison, the Beatles agree to abandon the idea of a live show and relocate to their Apple Corps studio to formally record the new album. Billy Preston, a musician the group met in Hamburg, joins in on the sessions on electric piano.
The Beatles continue recording as the deadline for completing the project, caused by Ringo Starr's filming schedule for The Magic Christian, approaches. McCartney continues to hope that the band will perform live for an audience and Lennon meets American businessman Allen Klein for the first time. On the penultimate day, the Beatles perform an unannounced concert on the roof of the Apple Corps building, attracting crowds of passers-by as well as the attention of the Metropolitan Police.
They defined music and popular culture like no other band ever will - but how did The Beatles make the journey from Merseyside teenagers to international pop stars in the 1960s? Made on Merseyside - The Beatles discovers how American rock 'n' roll and rhythm and blues dragged post-war Liverpool into one of the most vibrant music cities ever with the Mersey Sound. Featuring revealing interviews from those involved in the early years of The Beatles in Liverpool and Hamburg and unique archive, the incredible story of The Beatles' previous band formations and why it took so long for them to achieve success makes riveting viewing. From school bands, to colleges; Hamburg to The Cavern Club, The Beatles changed the world of pop music forever, but was Pete Best's sacking from the band and Ringo's replacement the final part of the jigsaw?
A documentation of the influences that went on to help create the seminal album Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band. Featuring interviews with former employees, fellow musicians, family members and journalists, and supported by original and exclusive never-seen-before footage, this star-studded rockumentary offers a fascinating insight into the creation and recording of one of the most ground-breaking and influential albums in pop history.
The doc marks the first time Abbey Road has opened its doors to a feature doc, and will be the centrepiece of the legendary studio’s 90th anniversary celebrations. Billed as the untold story of the studio, the film will feature an all-star cast of interviews, and intimate access to the premises.